Many vehicles, particularly trucks, vans, buses and the like, have a high profile relative to other vehicles such as private automobiles. The height of such vehicles makes the service and cleaning of them more difficult, and one doing such maintenance without mechanical assistance is often placed in an awkward and even dangerous circumstance by the general inaccessability of the engine compartment, windshield and cab.
A number of step devices have been designed in response to the foregoing problem. Some of these devices include individual steps that are intended for permanent fixture to a vehicle. Other such devices involve bench-type structures which may be designed for permanent association with a vehicle, or which may be partially portable. Still other designs disclose detachable individual steps that are intended for use with a particular vehicle.
Existing bumper step designs have various shortcomings. Naturally, those intended for permanent attachment have the effect of damaging the vehicle's appearance. Such permanent attachment may increase the incidence of rust and corrosion. Even those devices which are intended to be detachable are generally too bulky for convenient storage with a vehicle. Existing bumper step devices also are generally inflexible in their design. As a result, most are useful only in connection with a particular vehicle or style of vehicle. Many cannot be easily adjusted to the dimensions of a particular vehicle bumper.